Adventist World
Aviation has a mission outpost
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in Guyana, South America,
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servicing
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the northwestern
part of the country
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with aviation
services, such as medevacs,
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delivering supplies,
and spreading the gospel.
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This mission outpost
has been in existence
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for well over 10
years now and just thriving.
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They use
airplanes as a vital tool
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to serve the
local Guyanese people
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and share the love
of Jesus with them.
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There is such a great
need for emergency flights
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from deep in the jungle
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that they need two
aircrafts to keep up
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with the flight request demands.
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Friendship evangelism
is the key for missionaries
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who work in remote
corners of the world.
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Initially native
people can be very skeptical,
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so it takes time.
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But once
missionaries befriend them,
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the doors are often opened wide
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to share the good
news of the gospel.
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Jesus said that
the harvest is ripe,
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but the workers are few
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and we experienced
that here unfortunately.
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The original plan of AWA in
our role of the organization
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was we're to come down
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and set up an
aviation operation,
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and we were to provide
the backbone for ministry.
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An airplane
would take people out,
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volunteers from the States
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or anybody that wanted
to come and do ministry,
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and we provide the vehicle
to get them into those areas.
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But after we moved to Mabaruma
and we were here for a while,
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we realized
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that a lot of those
volunteers weren't coming.
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We weren't able to get people
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that were willing to come
and live among the people here
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and teach them.
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And so, after a period of time,
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we began to realize that
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and decided we have to
start doing it ourselves
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and doing what we
can to reach people.
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And so we began our
own individual ministries.
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Well, I've always said
that you can fly all day,
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but if you don't
win anybody to Christ,
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what are we doing here?
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And in the beginning,
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we are set up to be the helpers
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or the
providers for missionaries
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that were here working.
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We don't have
anybody here that's here
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just working as a missionary.
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And so we found
ourselves doing double duty.
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We see such a need
everywhere we look,
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there's, it's
almost overwhelming
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with all the needs
and all the opportunities,
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things are just ripe here.
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People coming to us
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and just begging
for us to come out
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and do Bible studies with them.
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Different areas have asked us
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to come and do
Bible studies with them
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or start
churches in their areas.
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We just do not have
enough time to do it all.
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And we would love to
have more people come.
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You don't have to be
a pilot to be with AWA.
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We need
volunteers that will come
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and commit
themselves for a long term like,
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say, three to five years even
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because it's all about
developing relationships
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with the people here.
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And there's just,
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it breaks our hearts to see
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how many people
really do want to know more.
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And we just don't
have the time to do it.
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Having the airplane here
has really opened the doors
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and to the hearts and
the minds of the people.
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There's been times
when I've flown people in
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and they become more
interested on to what we know.
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And they've come to us
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because of a direct response
to a flight that we've done.
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And just being
here in the community
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and people after a while knowing
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that we are here
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'cause we really
do care about them
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and we really do want to
help and so because of that,
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then the doors for
evangelism have really opened.
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Here in Guyana,
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the same is true
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for the Adventist
World Aviation missionaries.
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They've chosen to live
among the Amerindian people
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of Northwest Guyana
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and serve them by providing
life-saving aviation services.
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But aviation is only a part
of the work being done here.
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Evangelism with local
villagers comes naturally
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once they see
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how much the AWA
missionaries love them.
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Developing
friendship with locals
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has a transforming
power in a village.
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For example, here in Mabaruma,
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a few of the natives
have dedicated their lives
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to ministry,
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and now work
alongside the AWA missionaries
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to reach their fellow villagers.
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We realize that
the most effective way
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to spread the gospel in the area
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is to train natives.
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They don't have
a language barrier.
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Even though they speak English,
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there's words that mean
slightly different things
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that it can affect the way
that the gospel's understood.
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So what we
decided we wanted to do
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is find people who
were truly interested
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in doing God's will and
getting to know God better,
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helping them do that.
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And then
immediately as they're learning,
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have them share it
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with their friends
or family or whatever.
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And what we've been able to do
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is we've got a
handful of people.
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Three right now actually,
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that we've really
focused a lot of time on
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and they really get it.
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I would say the
ultimate goal as a missionary
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is not to think that
you're going to be here
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for the rest of your
life and be doing this work.
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I mean, that's not
what we're here to do.
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We are here to teach,
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and to train people locally,
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who lived here their whole lives
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to be able to begin to
work and share this message.
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The Adventist message is unlike
any other message in the world.
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It is the last
message for a world
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that is about to perish,
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and the last call of mercy.
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And the work that
we're doing right now
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among the people here
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is we're trying
to raise up leaders.
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We probably have now
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I'd say at least
five or six of them,
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that are being gradually trained
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in the doctrines of this
church and are understanding it.
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And we're working with
them to be able to teach it.
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One of the individuals
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that has taken
a special interest
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in spreading the
gospel is, Rupert.
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The VanFossens,
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AWA missionaries here
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have been mentoring
and teaching Rupert,
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grooming him for ongoing work
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here in Guyana among his people.
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I am Rupert John.
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And I live right
here at Mabaruma.
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Yes, on Thomas Hill.
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Well the first
church I really am.
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I was baptized in
the Assembly of God.
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So I went there,
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I was a drunkard
really, you know.
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And they invited me, and I went
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and he was
preaching on drunkenness.
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And that touched me.
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That message touched me,
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and I give my heart to the Lord.
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So there I started.
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And after a year, they put me,
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you know, they put
me to pastor church
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and they...
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We started studying
the Bible a little too.
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So when I was pastoring
there, I met Brother Greg.
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Brother Greg one Sabbath day,
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I was sitting over there
and he come and talk to me.
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So we started
having conversation.
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So we started getting close.
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And after a while
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he started
inviting me to Bible study,
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right up there
by the house there.
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And umm, I said,
"Okay, I will come."
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While I was doing
the children's program,
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Greg would hang out and
he'd visit with the people
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that live really
close to the church.
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And one day
there was an older man,
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we found out
that he was the father
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of some of the
people that were attending.
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And Greg was just
visiting with him and saying,
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"Oh, we do a Bible study
on Thursday, if you'd like to,
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you can stop by."
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And he said he would, but
everybody says they would.
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So we didn't really
think anything about it.
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But Thursday, he showed up,
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he comes
walking across the field
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and everybody in the Bible study
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got really quiet
when they saw him come.
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And we almost got the feeling
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like they were expecting
some kind of conflict to occur.
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And we had been studying for,
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I don't know, maybe six months
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with this group
of people already.
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So we had covered a
lot of different things.
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And the way we were
leading the Bible study was,
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what would you
like to study next week?
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What is your question?
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Well, the question
that we were answering
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that week was, is
hellfire burning now.
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So we sit down and
we had these handouts
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where we have
all the Bible texts,
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and we have them summarized.
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That's all that it is,
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is the Bible
text with the summary.
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And, so Greg
started the Bible study
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after he welcomed
Rupert and he said,
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"So, is hellfire burning now?"
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And Rupert's
like, "Of course it is."
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And Greg's like, "Well,
you might change your mind
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after we read our Bibles
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but, you know, if you choose
to believe something else,
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after we've read our
Bibles, you know, I'm not,
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we can still be friends."
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And so, Rupert
instead of being bristly,
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he kind of relaxed,
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but he was kind of
left a little agitated
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and he made the statement,
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"Well, if that's
what the Bible says,
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and that's what
we have to believe."
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So he has been
working as a pastor through
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or I should say
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in a couple of
different denominations.
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And he repeatedly had told us
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that he really appreciated
the way we studied the Bible.
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And initially,
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there was some agitation
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we observed but realized
he couldn't be angry at us.
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He was reading the Bible.
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So he was angry at somebody,
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it had to be a god
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or somebody that
had taught him before.
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Well, it was really good to me
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because you know,
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even though I had been pastoring
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different churches,
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you know, I never go so far.
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They never teach us you know,
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what the Adventist really teach,
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you know, so far, you know.
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So my eyes opened to
this, to the gospel, and ah,
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you know more and I feel good.
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You know something
really encouraged me a lot.
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The next week he came back.
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And we had kind
of the same thing
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where he was a
little uncomfortable
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at the end.
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And so Greg and I talked
about, we thought, you know,
00:11:08.33\00:11:10.93
maybe we should give
him the Bible study a week
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ahead of time,
because he's a pastor.
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And he's got all these ideas
already of what the Bible says,
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maybe if we give him a chance
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to look over the
study ahead of time,
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he'll be more
comfortable with it,
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or he can come
with his questions.
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So that's what we did.
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And we found that
when he came, he was like,
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asking the questions
that he knew should be asked
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in order to prove the point.
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So he was actually
helping teach the Bible studies.
00:11:40.23\00:11:44.57
He has a true hunger and thirst
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for doing what
God wants him to do.
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You know the study
really touched my heart,
00:11:49.90\00:11:52.21
and umm...
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I'd like to be...
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get more experience you know,
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and I decided to be Adventist.
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After attending Bible
studies with the VanFossens
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and wrestling with
God over the truths
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he was learning,
00:12:07.12\00:12:08.46
Rupert accepted
Christ as his Savior.
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And he became a
Seventh-day Adventist.
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I changed
because I see the truth,
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and I want to live
according to the Word of God.
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Well, when my eyes opened,
when I say that you know,
00:12:21.34\00:12:25.24
I mean that I
get something more,
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deeper
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than what I used to be studying.
00:12:28.44\00:12:30.11
After Rupert's conversion,
00:12:30.15\00:12:32.25
his former church congregation
was not happy with him.
00:12:32.28\00:12:36.12
They couldn't understand
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why he had chosen to leave them.
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Oh, they are not feeling good.
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Right now they are angry.
00:12:41.49\00:12:44.86
They are angry at me now
00:12:44.89\00:12:46.29
because they said that
I leave them, you know.
00:12:46.33\00:12:50.03
Rupert did what he
believes to be right
00:12:50.07\00:12:52.70
that which is in
harmony with the Bible.
00:12:52.73\00:12:55.70
He stays true to the message
that's been revealed to him.
00:12:55.74\00:13:00.04
Rupert now is a
very active member
00:13:00.08\00:13:02.21
in the local Adventist Church.
00:13:02.24\00:13:04.71
He also has dedicated
himself to giving Bible studies
00:13:04.75\00:13:07.75
to other interested
friends in his community.
00:13:07.78\00:13:11.39
Rupert cannot keep his
newfound faith a secret
00:13:11.42\00:13:15.12
and shares it with
anyone he comes in contact with.
00:13:15.16\00:13:19.36
Rupert's life was transformed,
00:13:19.39\00:13:22.03
it all began with the
offer of a simple friendship.
00:13:22.06\00:13:25.63
He has, before
he was an Adventist,
00:13:25.67\00:13:28.84
he went and did
a lot of teaching
00:13:28.87\00:13:32.64
along the river
00:13:32.67\00:13:34.01
and he is wanting to
go back along the river
00:13:34.04\00:13:36.61
and meet those people.
00:13:36.64\00:13:37.98
And he says he wants
to help set them straight.
00:13:38.01\00:13:39.95
He wants to correct the
errors that he taught them.
00:13:39.98\00:13:43.42
So we have a
small boat in Georgetown
00:13:43.45\00:13:46.02
that someone
donated and a small motor
00:13:46.05\00:13:48.36
and so we're working
about bringing that in
00:13:48.39\00:13:50.96
and giving him the opportunity
to do what he wants to do.
00:13:50.99\00:13:54.06
We have a youth Sabbath school
down at the church we go to,
00:14:07.21\00:14:14.05
and I help with.
00:14:14.08\00:14:15.65
I am teaching the Sabbath School
00:14:15.68\00:14:18.39
down at our church.
00:14:18.42\00:14:20.46
Brandon and Serena work together
00:14:20.49\00:14:23.06
teaching a young
adult Sabbath School
00:14:23.09\00:14:25.56
each week.
00:14:25.59\00:14:27.06
They don't have
much available space
00:14:27.10\00:14:29.03
so they meet
underneath the pastor's house.
00:14:29.06\00:14:32.67
The young adults
all crowd together
00:14:32.70\00:14:35.14
and study biblical truths
00:14:35.17\00:14:37.31
in their makeshift
Sabbath School room.
00:14:37.34\00:14:41.34
The bonds of
Christian friendship
00:14:41.38\00:14:43.55
developed here
00:14:43.58\00:14:44.98
impact not only the attendees,
00:14:45.01\00:14:48.02
but also personally
impact these young missionaries.
00:14:48.05\00:14:54.02
Although they're young,
00:14:54.06\00:14:55.39
Brandon and Serena are dedicated
00:14:55.42\00:14:57.43
to their work here.
00:14:57.46\00:14:59.59
Rain or shine,
00:14:59.63\00:15:01.16
they're happy to share the
hope that the gospel can bring.
00:15:01.20\00:15:04.87
The Guyanese soak
00:15:04.90\00:15:06.23
in the good
news of Jesus Christ.
00:15:06.27\00:15:09.24
Unfortunately, life
for them here in Guyana
00:15:09.27\00:15:12.27
is not an easy one.
00:15:12.31\00:15:14.18
And this message of salvation
00:15:14.21\00:15:15.78
is a welcomed
opportunity of hope.
00:15:15.81\00:15:18.78
We want to help
people empower them
00:15:18.81\00:15:23.15
to share the
gospel after we're gone.
00:15:23.18\00:15:26.92
And so we want to
have the kind of impact
00:15:26.96\00:15:30.19
that will be lasting.
00:15:30.23\00:15:32.16
And what that means
is we have to figure out
00:15:32.19\00:15:36.26
just exactly in
this window of time
00:15:36.30\00:15:38.63
that we have here.
00:15:38.67\00:15:41.00
What are we going
to try to teach them
00:15:41.04\00:15:44.54
and we don't want to
just have proselytes,
00:15:44.57\00:15:49.04
we are interested in sharing
00:15:49.08\00:15:52.41
how to have a
relationship with our Creator,
00:15:52.45\00:15:54.78
with Jesus Christ.
00:15:54.82\00:15:56.69
And what that
means is showing them
00:15:56.72\00:16:01.12
and encouraging them
to do what we're doing
00:16:01.16\00:16:04.46
so that what
we're eventually doing
00:16:04.49\00:16:07.80
is what we intended to do
00:16:07.83\00:16:09.56
and that is support the
missionaries that are here.
00:16:09.60\00:16:14.04
And we eventually
slide out of picture,
00:16:14.07\00:16:16.87
but the work is continuing.
00:16:16.91\00:16:20.14
The beautiful thing about it
00:16:20.18\00:16:21.51
is they have a great
passion for the work,
00:16:21.54\00:16:23.68
they want to reach their people.
00:16:23.71\00:16:26.05
And I love seeing that,
00:16:26.08\00:16:28.95
I love seeing the
fire in their eyes
00:16:28.98\00:16:30.82
and the desire to go out
00:16:30.85\00:16:32.19
to anywhere God
calls them to work.
00:16:32.22\00:16:35.12
It puts us all
to shame honestly,
00:16:35.16\00:16:37.99
the way that they see things.
00:16:38.03\00:16:39.96
They don't see
anything more important
00:16:40.00\00:16:41.33
than sharing the gospel
and nothing gets in the way.
00:16:41.36\00:16:44.50
And,
00:16:44.53\00:16:46.07
so that's the
ultimate goal of the project
00:16:46.10\00:16:48.80
is to raise up as many of those
as we can possibly get going,
00:16:48.84\00:16:52.54
before we close up
here sometime in the future,
00:16:52.57\00:16:55.14
although it won't be
happening anytime soon.
00:16:55.18\00:16:57.51
But we pray that
one day we planted
00:16:57.55\00:17:00.62
many, many seeds
here that when we leave,
00:17:00.65\00:17:03.85
those seeds will
continue to grow.
00:17:03.89\00:17:05.85
And more
churches can be planted,
00:17:05.89\00:17:07.49
more companies can be started,
00:17:07.52\00:17:09.46
and more people
will be in the kingdom
00:17:09.49\00:17:11.79
because of the
work we've done here.
00:17:11.83\00:17:14.26
Anne is another
story of a life transformed
00:17:14.30\00:17:16.93
all because
someone wanted to help her
00:17:16.97\00:17:20.44
during a
difficult time in her life.
00:17:20.47\00:17:23.10
A friendship was started
00:17:23.14\00:17:24.47
and now because
of that friendship,
00:17:24.51\00:17:26.71
Anne is passionately
involved in spreading the gospel
00:17:26.74\00:17:30.75
to her fellow
Amerindian natives.
00:17:30.78\00:17:35.12
Anne has a really unique story.
00:17:35.15\00:17:37.12
It's really fun
00:17:37.15\00:17:38.49
because it shows
how you never know
00:17:38.52\00:17:42.29
what one little
thing you do has an impact,
00:17:42.32\00:17:45.29
years down the road.
00:17:45.33\00:17:47.00
Anne had a
daughter several years ago
00:17:47.03\00:17:49.03
that contracted cancer.
00:17:49.06\00:17:52.00
I had a daughter
that 14 years old.
00:17:52.03\00:17:54.77
She died.
00:17:54.80\00:17:56.14
And she used to
attend, umm, Adventist Church.
00:17:56.17\00:18:02.78
And Anne would
attend on occasion.
00:18:02.81\00:18:06.41
And they would give Anne
books like Steps to Christ,
00:18:06.45\00:18:11.42
or some of the other
Adventist literature,
00:18:11.45\00:18:14.72
and she would read it,
00:18:14.76\00:18:16.39
and she watched
her daughter change
00:18:16.42\00:18:19.49
and become where Anne
said is a true Christian.
00:18:19.53\00:18:22.06
And then
00:18:22.10\00:18:23.43
when her daughter
got sick with cancer,
00:18:23.47\00:18:25.37
her daughter was treated
at Davis Memorial Hospital,
00:18:25.40\00:18:28.24
which is our
Adventist hospital there.
00:18:28.27\00:18:30.91
And the witness of the doctors
00:18:30.94\00:18:32.44
and the nurses there
00:18:32.47\00:18:34.08
reaffirmed some of the things
00:18:34.11\00:18:36.24
that she had been hearing
00:18:36.28\00:18:38.31
from the literature
and attending church.
00:18:38.35\00:18:40.65
After her daughter died,
she moved back to Mabaruma.
00:18:40.68\00:18:44.59
And she made the
commitment in her head
00:18:44.62\00:18:46.69
that if she ever found
an Adventist Church here
00:18:46.72\00:18:49.16
that she would attend.
00:18:49.19\00:18:52.86
Well, in the meantime,
00:18:52.89\00:18:54.50
she'd been
reading Desire of Ages
00:18:54.53\00:18:56.77
and Steps to Christ
and a few other books
00:18:56.80\00:19:00.04
that her daughter had
left after she had died.
00:19:00.07\00:19:03.14
She had some books
that she used to read
00:19:03.17\00:19:05.97
like Desire of Ages
00:19:06.01\00:19:08.34
and The Great Controversy,
00:19:08.38\00:19:13.21
and those books, and umm...
00:19:13.25\00:19:17.09
she left those
books and Steps to Christ.
00:19:17.12\00:19:22.09
After she died,
00:19:22.12\00:19:23.53
I took the books and
I started reading them.
00:19:23.56\00:19:26.03
Before she died, she
said, "Mom, you know, umm...
00:19:26.06\00:19:29.50
it is good to be a Christian."
00:19:29.53\00:19:30.93
But when you read these
books, you will know the truth.
00:19:30.97\00:19:34.70
And I started reading the books.
00:19:34.74\00:19:37.01
And she's like
these books tell me
00:19:37.04\00:19:40.34
that believing in
Christ changes you.
00:19:40.38\00:19:44.61
It's not the same person,
as you believe in Christ,
00:19:44.65\00:19:47.22
you become a different person.
00:19:47.25\00:19:48.58
She says, "That's
not what you see here.
00:19:48.62\00:19:50.12
People become Christian,
00:19:50.15\00:19:51.49
and they're the
same old, wicked people
00:19:51.52\00:19:52.85
that they were before."
00:19:52.89\00:19:54.22
And she said it's one thing
00:19:54.26\00:19:55.59
that she really appreciated
about the Adventist Church
00:19:55.62\00:19:58.99
was that they
talked about a change.
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.96
God changes you.
00:20:02.00\00:20:03.77
He makes you
into a true Christian.
00:20:03.80\00:20:07.50
So Greg and I
started holding services
00:20:07.54\00:20:12.24
down at Thomas Hill.
00:20:12.27\00:20:14.08
And at first she didn't
realize that we were Adventist.
00:20:14.11\00:20:16.81
But then when she
realized that we were Adventist,
00:20:16.85\00:20:20.18
she made the commitment
00:20:20.22\00:20:21.75
that she was going to
be attending church there.
00:20:21.78\00:20:24.62
From then we started
attending their meetings
00:20:24.65\00:20:28.82
and I like the
way with the services
00:20:28.86\00:20:32.19
and the lively teaching.
00:20:32.23\00:20:34.06
Most of all, I like the teaching
00:20:34.10\00:20:36.10
because it led
me into the truth,
00:20:36.13\00:20:39.30
because before I used
to attend Christian church,
00:20:39.33\00:20:42.24
other Christian churches.
00:20:42.27\00:20:43.61
But I never really
looked in the Bible,
00:20:43.64\00:20:45.91
I just used to listen to
the preaching and you know,
00:20:45.94\00:20:49.01
what the other
preacher would say.
00:20:49.04\00:20:51.35
And I never really read
the Bible much for myself.
00:20:51.38\00:20:55.92
When Brother
Greg and Sister Greg
00:20:55.95\00:20:57.29
startled the meetings,
00:20:57.32\00:20:59.19
then, you know, I asked God
to really lead me to the way,
00:20:59.22\00:21:02.99
if this is the real way.
00:21:03.02\00:21:05.46
And I was so
happy that, you know,
00:21:05.49\00:21:06.93
I found
00:21:06.96\00:21:08.30
what my daughter found before...
00:21:08.33\00:21:10.87
I read the books
00:21:14.74\00:21:16.57
and then I noticed that
the books were real truth.
00:21:16.60\00:21:20.98
And Sister and Brother
started keeping services.
00:21:21.01\00:21:27.12
We'll say meetings,
00:21:27.15\00:21:29.02
we'd have Sabbath meetings
00:21:29.05\00:21:31.79
and we agreed at the church
00:21:31.82\00:21:33.82
that we would start
doing Sabbath on Saturday
00:21:33.86\00:21:38.23
because we used to
have our Sabbath on Sundays.
00:21:38.26\00:21:42.86
And that caused her to start
00:21:42.90\00:21:45.20
making some other
adjustments in her life.
00:21:45.23\00:21:48.24
They had always
kept Saturday, Sunday,
00:21:48.27\00:21:50.74
like we keep Sabbath.
00:21:50.77\00:21:52.37
They didn't do housework
00:21:52.41\00:21:53.74
and that kind
of stuff on Sunday.
00:21:53.78\00:21:57.01
So she had to
start changing that
00:21:57.05\00:21:59.28
and then she had to
work with her employer
00:21:59.31\00:22:02.08
to start getting Sabbaths off.
00:22:02.12\00:22:04.12
And she took a
lot of heat from that.
00:22:04.15\00:22:07.19
A lot of heat.
00:22:07.22\00:22:09.59
After I start
looking in the Bible
00:22:09.62\00:22:12.66
and find the truth.
00:22:12.69\00:22:14.03
I realize that,
Sabbath should be Saturdays.
00:22:14.06\00:22:18.50
So that is why I
decided to continue
00:22:18.53\00:22:23.51
in the Adventist
00:22:23.54\00:22:24.87
because I now know that
I am doing the right thing
00:22:24.91\00:22:28.91
in serving God on his
Sabbath, keeping the day holy,
00:22:28.94\00:22:32.78
the day that He
wanted us to keep holy.
00:22:32.81\00:22:35.62
She is very
excited about growing
00:22:35.65\00:22:37.95
and teaching Bible studies.
00:22:37.99\00:22:39.65
She's got like
three Bible studies
00:22:39.69\00:22:42.52
that she's doing right now.
00:22:42.56\00:22:45.33
Besides the ones
that she's doing with me,
00:22:45.36\00:22:48.03
so that gives her at
least five Bible studies
00:22:48.06\00:22:50.47
that she's doing.
00:22:50.50\00:22:52.07
And she says,
00:22:52.10\00:22:53.44
she wants to do
more Bible studies.
00:22:53.47\00:22:55.67
She loves giving Bible studies.
00:22:55.70\00:22:58.87
Both Anne and
Rupert are changed lives
00:22:58.91\00:23:02.11
resulting from
friendship evangelism.
00:23:02.14\00:23:06.61
God used the AWA missionaries
00:23:06.65\00:23:09.18
to touch the lives
of these local Guyanese
00:23:09.22\00:23:12.79
and through
genuine Christian love
00:23:12.82\00:23:14.62
reaches their hearts.
00:23:14.66\00:23:17.19
By forming friendships
with the people around them,
00:23:17.23\00:23:20.43
the missionaries are fulfilling
God's Great Commission
00:23:20.46\00:23:23.63
to go and make disciples.
00:23:23.67\00:23:27.37
Both Anne and Rupert
are now actively spreading
00:23:27.40\00:23:29.90
the gospel to
their fellow countrymen.
00:23:29.94\00:23:32.57
The VanFossens are
continuing to teach them
00:23:32.61\00:23:35.68
how to teach Bible
and lead others to Christ.
00:23:35.71\00:23:41.68
The Adventist World
Aviation missionaries
00:23:41.72\00:23:43.95
are showing the love of Jesus,
all they come in contact with.
00:23:43.99\00:23:48.79
Developing friendships
00:23:48.82\00:23:50.33
is an important part of the work
00:23:50.36\00:23:52.06
Adventist World
Aviation does here in Guyana.
00:23:52.09\00:23:55.90
Without a doubt,
00:23:55.93\00:23:57.27
the friendships developed here
00:23:57.30\00:23:59.13
deep in these Guyanese
jungles will continue to grow.
00:23:59.17\00:24:04.41
Once we all get to
heaven, what a day that will be.
00:24:04.44\00:24:09.94
As they start to understand
00:24:09.98\00:24:12.95
that the
different church doctrines,
00:24:12.98\00:24:15.05
the different beliefs,
00:24:15.08\00:24:18.42
then they are actually
really excited to share it
00:24:18.45\00:24:21.79
with other people.
00:24:21.82\00:24:23.93
So, what our goal has been
00:24:23.96\00:24:26.59
is to take them with us
00:24:26.63\00:24:28.26
when we go and do a Bible study,
00:24:28.30\00:24:30.13
we'll take another
church member with us.
00:24:30.17\00:24:32.17
So they learn how
to give Bible studies.
00:24:32.20\00:24:34.60
When we do Sabbath
School discussions,
00:24:34.64\00:24:38.17
we will show them how
to do it for several weeks
00:24:38.21\00:24:41.48
and then we will ask
somebody else to lead out,
00:24:41.51\00:24:45.88
so that then they know
00:24:45.91\00:24:47.55
how to lead out
in the discussion.
00:24:47.58\00:24:49.48
We give them the opportunity
to speak and we help them,
00:24:49.52\00:24:53.42
we support them,
and we encourage them.
00:24:53.46\00:24:55.82
A lot of times
here in the Amerin...
00:24:55.86\00:24:57.66
among the Amerindians
00:24:57.69\00:24:59.03
they've been told
that they're stupid.
00:24:59.06\00:25:00.96
When the white people come in,
00:25:01.00\00:25:02.33
they just want to do everything.
00:25:02.36\00:25:03.83
And so they will let
white people do everything.
00:25:03.87\00:25:06.97
And so we want them
to take the ownership.
00:25:07.00\00:25:10.01
And we have found that
as they're taking ownership,
00:25:10.04\00:25:12.94
they really get excited
about the ability to do that.
00:25:12.97\00:25:19.18
And they're going
into other communities,
00:25:19.21\00:25:22.68
they're starting
great Sabbath schools,
00:25:22.72\00:25:24.32
they're giving Bible studies
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.19
in places that we
don't even know about.
00:25:26.22\00:25:28.76
They have
connections with family.
00:25:28.79\00:25:32.46
It's just this
network that we end up
00:25:32.49\00:25:36.20
being at the base and
we give them the supplies,
00:25:36.23\00:25:38.53
we give them the moral support,
00:25:38.57\00:25:40.30
and then they go
out and they'll say,
00:25:40.34\00:25:41.80
"Okay, I need stuff
for four Bible studies."
00:25:41.84\00:25:43.71
So we give them the materials
for four Bible studies.
00:25:43.74\00:25:45.91
But we don't go out
and do the Bible studies,
00:25:45.94\00:25:48.08
they go out and
do the Bible studies.
00:25:48.11\00:25:50.01
We go out there to
give them moral support.
00:25:50.05\00:25:53.28
We're there to
answer questions and stuff,
00:25:53.31\00:25:55.35
but we want to empower
the natives to do that.
00:25:55.38\00:25:58.15
So when we leave,
they're not left with,
00:25:58.19\00:26:01.76
"Oh, we don't know what
to do, we can't function."
00:26:01.79\00:26:04.79
But they're like, "Oh,
yeah, this is our church."
00:26:04.83\00:26:07.96
This is, they own it.
00:26:08.00\00:26:10.57
They know how to go
out and do the ministry.
00:26:10.60\00:26:13.03
They've got some
really big ideas.
00:26:13.07\00:26:15.40
I had no plans
before coming down here
00:26:15.44\00:26:20.24
doing a church plant,
but that's what's happened.
00:26:20.28\00:26:23.11
And it's the Holy
Spirit that's doing it.
00:26:23.14\00:26:25.11
I'm just showing
up and cooperating
00:26:25.15\00:26:28.18
and so on many different levels,
00:26:28.22\00:26:32.55
it's been an adventure.
00:26:32.59\00:26:34.56
You learn how to trust God
00:26:34.59\00:26:36.06
or I've learned how to trust God
00:26:36.09\00:26:37.46
in a different
way than I had before
00:26:37.49\00:26:39.96
and have a little
different understanding
00:26:40.00\00:26:42.70
of how He works.
00:26:42.73\00:26:44.07
We're at the point
00:26:55.78\00:26:57.11
where we can't
handle anything more,
00:26:57.15\00:26:59.15
we can't do it any
more than we've done.
00:26:59.18\00:27:01.32
The project is ripe.
00:27:01.35\00:27:02.75
I can honestly say
00:27:02.78\00:27:04.12
that in all the places
I've been in the world,
00:27:04.15\00:27:07.62
I cannot see a more ripe harvest
00:27:07.66\00:27:10.03
than exists in Guyana.
00:27:10.06\00:27:11.39
I've never seen
anything like it.
00:27:11.43\00:27:13.13
People come to us,
00:27:13.16\00:27:15.30
entire village
is asking us to come
00:27:15.33\00:27:16.90
and give Bible studies there.
00:27:16.93\00:27:19.27
We can't physically do it.
00:27:19.30\00:27:21.04
We don't have the time to do it
00:27:21.07\00:27:22.87
because we're busy doing
00:27:22.90\00:27:24.24
all these other
ministries and flying airplanes.
00:27:24.27\00:27:27.31
So if I seem a little animated
00:27:27.34\00:27:30.28
and maybe a little
bit heated about it,
00:27:30.31\00:27:32.45
I am because I know
there's many people out there
00:27:32.48\00:27:36.08
that feel a call to
work for God and then...
00:27:36.12\00:27:39.05
But then there's always
the enemy there that saying,
00:27:39.09\00:27:40.82
"Well, you can't go
00:27:40.86\00:27:42.19
because you have a
house and you have,
00:27:42.22\00:27:43.79
you know, you have
these responsibilities
00:27:43.83\00:27:45.56
and, you know,
00:27:45.59\00:27:46.93
you can't take
your kids overseas, "
00:27:46.96\00:27:48.30
and these kinds of things.
00:27:48.33\00:27:49.86
And so they never come.
00:27:49.90\00:27:51.43
And they never fulfill, perhaps,
00:27:51.47\00:27:53.77
what God really
has planned for them.
00:27:53.80\00:27:56.00
And I think we need
to step out in faith,
00:27:56.04\00:27:58.31
because God is more
than able to take care of us,
00:27:58.34\00:28:01.11
provide for us, keep us safe.
00:28:01.14\00:28:03.35
If we're stepping
out on His errand,
00:28:03.38\00:28:05.58
He's going to provide
the way for it to happen.
00:28:05.61\00:28:07.65
We need to trust more
00:28:07.68\00:28:09.48
and stop worrying
about all those things
00:28:09.52\00:28:11.32
and let's get the work done
00:28:11.35\00:28:12.69
because Jesus is going to come.
00:28:12.72\00:28:14.72